Good news that crime is decreasing overall has been "clouded out" by fears over escalating violent crime, according to Shadow Minister for Public Safety Michael Dunkley.

His comments came after Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva released statistics for the June to September period on Tuesday.

The figures showed that murders, firearms incidents and serious assaults are all up compared to the first nine months of last year.

Gun crime is at an all-time high, with the highest number of incidents ever recorded in any three month period.

The situation was described as "still rising and still alarming" by the Police chief. Seven people have been killed in shootings so far this year and 25 have been injured.

In that three month period alone, there were 20 confirmed firearms incidents, including one fatality the death of Raymond Troy (Yankee) Rawlins in August. Meanwhile there were 40 unconfirmed incidents.

That means that so far in 2010 there have been 54 confirmed firearms incidents, compared to 37 for the whole of 2009. There have been 112 unconfirmed gun incidents, compared to just 50 for the whole of last year.

Mr. DeSilva reassured the public that other categories of crime, including sexual assault, robbery and offences against children were all down.

He said the overall crime rate has been decreasing "at a steady pace" over the past year and is now 12.8 percent down compared to the third quarter of 2009.

He said: "The long term trend of all crime in Bermuda remains stable, but is now showing signs of a meaningful decrease".

Reacting to the news yesterday, Senator Dunkley said: "One thing is clear to everyone in Bermuda that crime is the number one issue we face.

"It's good that the long-term trend of crime remains stable and showing meaningful signs of decrease. But that's all clouded out by the fact that we have new and disturbing trends in violent crime.

"Bermudians are starting to become concerned for their public safety and way of life in a manner they have not experienced in decades."

He urged the community to help the Police by coming forward with information and said he was pleased the Commissioner recognised the value of having Police as a visible presence on the streets.

"We need Police on the beat. Not only is it a deterrent but it builds partnerships with the community."

The Police Commissioner also detailed plans to boost manpower by enlisting full-time Regiment officers as Special Constables.

Sen. Dunkley said he was not sure how the Regiment plan would assist, but welcomed anything that would alleviate the stress on Police resources.

He applauded the openness shown by the Commissioner in sharing detailed figures on reported crimes, but called for more, saying: "We should also have some information on crime that's resolved and solved.

"I think if the community understands the trends in crime that will help them feel better about the work that the Police do."